The Deadly First Lesson in Prescott
A wealthy farmer's first solo drive in his new automobile ends in a fatal plunge down a steep grade near Walla Walla.
Leander B. Boyd, age 66, a wealthy farmer around Walla Walla, was instantly killed Sunday when his new automobile, in which he was taking his first ride unattended, backed over a steep grade near his home 10 miles northeast of Prescott. An hour and a half later he was found by his wife at the foot of the grade. His neck was broken.
“Leander B. Boyd... was instantly killed Sunday when his new automobile in which he was taking his first ride unattended backed over a steep grade.”
Early automobile ownership was often a dangerous, do-it-yourself affair where learning to drive meant trial and error in untested terrain. Today, while vehicles are vastly safer, the isolation of rural roads and the dangers of steep grades remain a stark reality for those living on the fringes of the Palouse.
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